The Lies of Satan vs. Biblical Principles

by Ron Livesay
February 2009

I first became directly involved in Christian school education in 1978. The many joys and heartaches I have experienced could fill a book. No experience is quite like it, and I would not trade any of it for a different career or ministry. It has been a tremendous experience to be on the scene at BCS and to witness the Lord’s blessing over the years.

During these thirty years, I have seen many changes, and not all of them have been for the better. One of the most difficult things to observe has been the influence of “this present evil age” (Galatians 1:4, NKJV) on students and their families. Try as we might, it is nigh unto impossible to protect our children from all of the evil influences that permeate every segment of our society. The Christian school should be, and generally is, one of the small islands of refuge from the daily bombardment of ugliness coming from all directions, but ultimately originating from one source – Satan himself.

Satan tells many lies. One that is most appealing to young people sometimes takes the form we occasionally see on a bumper sticker: “Eat dessert first.” What does such a statement really say? It is reflective of a philosophy that tells young people to demand their rights, grab as many privileges as possible as soon as they can and as often as they can, and delay acceptance of responsibilities for as long as possible. Such an idea is appealing to human nature, but in the end, self-destruction is assured. As a practical matter, if someone consistently ate dessert first, he could easily end up being full before eating the nutritious food his body needs. He would eventually become ill. In the same way, if someone grabbed all the privileges without accepting the necessary responsibilities, the outcome would be disastrous. One could think of many illustrations of this point. What would it be like if someone could accept the privilege and income of being a brain surgeon without paying the price of going through the years of study that are necessary? While it is silly to think anyone could pull that off, such a scenario would be disastrous to the lives of many people.

Young people often feel they are somehow missing out on something, and that it is necessary to grab onto every “pleasure” of life as soon as possible. Several years ago, a beer commercial said, “You only go around once in life. Get all the gusto you can.” It is interesting that such a statement came from a company that was peddling an addictive substance which has destroyed countless lives.

Satan loves it when Christian young people think this way, because such thinking makes them easy prey for his lies and can potentially make them ineffective as servants of the Lord. He tells young people to break away from old-fashioned morals and do whatever makes them feel good. “Go ahead – use tobacco, alcohol, and drugs. Show your parents and teachers that you are grown up and can do as you please. It’s your right. Go ahead – take your dad’s car and drive 100 miles an hour on the Ramona Expressway. Go ahead – try stealing something. It’s a great rush. Go ahead – lie to your parents. They’ll never know, and they don’t understand how life really is anyway. Go ahead – cheat on that test. You deserve a better grade than that rotten teacher is giving you. Go ahead – take the privileges of marriage without accepting the responsibilities and making a commitment. Who has the right to tell you it’s wrong? Anyway, you might die without ever enjoying these things if you don’t do them now.”

This sounds very much like “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” Such a philosophy leads to a miserable life, prison, or the morgue, and ultimately ends in judgment. Notice what God’s Word says. “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:37-39, NKJV).

Satan promises the best first. He puts the reward up front and disguises the hard work and heartache as something else. God says just the opposite. There had to be Christ the Suffering Savior before there could be Christ the King. The cross came before the crown. Responsibilities come before privileges. Even though He has given those who know Him eternal life, it is reality that we still live in sinful bodies on a sin cursed earth. Anyone who thinks rewards and privileges should be first, and responsibilities should come later, or maybe never, is only fooling himself and is greatly deceived. Yet God’s Word warns us not to be deceived. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7, NKJV).

In view of this, I have often reminded young people of the following two principles: Anything worth having is worth waiting for, and anything not worth waiting for is not worth having. We believe it is our responsibility, as Christian school educators and as parents, to teach children and young people the biblical principles upon which they can build their lives, including the principles which deal with these lies of Satan. Regardless of all the changes in society, the Truth has not changed and never will change. God’s Word stands firm and is our guide for life. “Forever, O LORD, Your Word is settled in Heaven” (Psalm 119:89, NKJV). “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105, NKJV).

A Scientist Said So

by Ron Livesay

In August of 1996, it was revealed that a rock had been found in Antarctica. It was formed on the surface of Mars about 4.5 billion years ago. It left the Martian surface about 15 million years ago, and it came to earth about 13,000 years ago. It had traces of compounds which are given off by living organisms. There was probably life on Mars at one time, and it is likely that life on earth originated on Mars. It must be true. A scientist said so.

God did not create the universe. He did not create life. He does not even exist. All things evolved, not by accident, but by the intelligence inherent in “natural selection.” It must be true. A scientist said so.

The earth is flat. Anyone who travels too far will fall off the edge. The ocean is inhabited by great sea monsters that will eat all ships and sailors who venture too far from land. It must be true. A scientist said so.

Heavy objects fall faster than light objects. There can be no doubt about this. There is no need even to test the idea, since it is so obvious. It must be true. A scientist said so.

When someone is very sick, it is important to bleed the patient to get rid of the bad blood. It is the only path to recovery. It must be true. A scientist said so.

An unborn baby is not human. It is only a tissue mass. It only becomes human after it is fully born, breathes, and proves itself to be “viable.” Therefore, it is all right to kill it any time prior to “viability,” since it is not human, and killing it is much like killing a fish or a frog. It must be true. A scientist said so.

There can be no doubt that scientists are always right. No scientist ever makes a statement that has not been absolutely proven to be true, using the scientific method. Therefore, their doctrines are always right and not open to question. If anyone questions the doctrines of a scientist, that person is dealing in the theological and philosophical rather than the scientific. It must be true. A scientist said so.

“Professing to be wise, they became fools…” (Romans 1:22)

“…always learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 3:7)

“…avoiding the profane and idle babblings and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge.” (I Timothy 6:20)

Fairy Tales

by Ron Livesay

Fairy tales are a part of most young children's lives. Children seem to enjoy fantasy and make-believe. Sad to say, there are some fairy tales which are believed today, even by adults, who then accuse Christians of "believing in fairy tales." The Lord Jesus Christ said, "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32, NKJV). Only those who know Him have a solid foundation of truth for their lives. That is why the teaching of truth is so important in Christian schools. We understand the importance of equipping the minds of children and young people to resist the empty philosophies and "fairy tales" of this world.

Those who reject truth are often very quick to identify Christians as unrealistic and naive. They claim Christians are simple-minded for believing in the Creator-God, the sinfulness of man, the redeeming sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His bodily resurrection, and His second coming. The foundation of each person's thinking lies in his view of origins, so that is where a discussion of such thinking should begin.

Let us picture a hypothetical situation in which a prominent scientist proposes the idea that computers are not made through any organized and logical process; instead, they came into a being through a random process of evolution over billions of years. Obviously, there would be those who object to this teaching on the grounds of common sense or realistic knowledge of how computers are made. These objectors would be ridiculed as naive and stupid, out of touch with the latest scientific discoveries, and brainwashed by old-fashioned thinking. A great effort would be made to stop the schools from teaching the idea that computers are made by computer manufacturers. Severe doubt would be cast on whether computer manufacturers even exist, and some would come right out with blatant statements of "fact" that they do not exist. Schools would ultimately be prevented from even mentioning the idea of computer manufacturing as a theory or alternative model for the origin of computers, and they would be required to teach the evolution of computers as a fact.

In reality, anyone espousing such a belief would be laughed at unmercifully and would not be taken seriously by anyone. However, as absurd as that little story is, it makes more sense than what is actually happening. Computers are complicated. One incorrect keystroke at the wrong time can cripple a computer or an entire network of computers. Erase a key file, and a computer becomes an expensive paperweight until it is repaired by someone who knows what he is doing. It will not repair itself. However, computers are nothing in comparison to the complexity of the universe and all it contains. It is far more likely that a state-of-the art computer network, including software, could come into being and begin working by accident than that the human body could come about by random processes, no matter how many billions of years the evolutionists arbitrarily grant themselves. Anyone propagating the idea that the genetic code, which is found in DNA and unique to each species, is the product of chance rather than intelligent design does not deserve to be taken seriously. The very idea that an information code of such complexity could come into being by random processes is so absurd and so in defiance of the realities of mathematical probability as to be nothing short of idiotic. Anyone holding to such a view deserves the ridicule of the scientific community and of anyone with any measure of common sense.

Undaunted by reality, evolutionists nevertheless continue to insist on the absurd as absolute fact. Never mind that evolution is a mathematical impossibility. Never mind that there is not one shred of evidence for evolution. Never mind that all the evidence points toward a great watery catastrophe, such as the flood of Noah, indicating a much younger earth than the billions of years the evolutionists desperately hope for. Never mind that evolution cannot be repeated, duplicated, or otherwise subjected to the scientific method. Never mind that the fossil record has thousands of major gaps between species which have never been adequately explained by evolutionists. Never mind that cross-breeding of species does not work, and the limited cross-breeding that is successful produces sterile offspring. Never mind that the geological column, so prominently pictured in science books as a proof for evolution, does not exist as pictured anywhere on earth. Never mind that the very idea of evolution violates the known laws of the universe, including the second law of thermodynamics and the law that says spontaneous generation does not occur. Never mind that evolution is patently absurd and defies all common sense. And never mind that the doctrine of evolution calls God a liar.

The evolutionists' doctrinal position remains the same: "Evolution is true. It has to be. The only other option involves God, and that is clearly unacceptable. Anyone who rejects evolution is ignorant and ought to know enough to believe the scientists." The Scripture makes it clear that those who hold to such a position are "willingly ignorant" of the truth. They have chosen to be in a state of unbelief and ignorance because they desperately want God not to exist. The only possible reason to reduce man to an animal is to justify animal behavior without accountability to anyone, especially God. That is why evolution, as a chosen system of belief, is a doctrine rather than a scientific theory.

Evolution is a lie, plain and simple, and it comes from the father of lies, Satan himself. Dr. Henry Morris said, "...there has never been a greater deception in all history than the lie of evolution! The very notion that this mighty and infinitely complex cosmos, with its amazing array of living creatures and spiritual realities, could somehow create itself out of primeval chaos (or even out of nothing, as modern cosmogonists are suggesting) is nonsense of the highest order" (Henry M. Morris, Ph.D., The Long War Against God, p. 256). The very idea of evolution is so ridiculous as to be laughable. However, as bizarre as it is, it is not funny, because of the fact that it is so deadly to the souls of men. It is a doctrine of demons, contributing to the lost condition and eternal condemnation of unbelievers.

So who believes in fairy tales? Is it the Christian who believes God's Word and looks at the grand design of the universe and sees the hand of the Designer behind it? Or is it the evolutionist who looks at the grand design of the universe and concludes that it all came about as the result of an accident? Not really a hard question.

Absolute Truth and The Christian Teacher

by James M. Bramblet

When a young teacher graduates from college and takes a job in a Christian school, he is immediately faced with a change in educational philosophy. A Christian school, if it is worthy of the name Christian, believes in teaching absolute truth. Modern day educational philosophy, however, is built on the principle of relative truth. These two views are utterly irreconcilable, and until the young teacher resolves this question in his own mind, he can never establish a workable educational philosophy.

Either truth stems from the mind of God and is absolute and unchangeable, or it comes from the reasoning of men and will be changing from generation to generation. If the latter is true, there is not much point in memorizing or learning facts, for these things may not be true by the time the child is a grown man. According to this theory, it is much better to teach the child critical thinking, or how to reason, and then he can adjust to whatever happens to be the truth at any time.

Since Bible-believing Christians accept the Bible's teaching that truth comes from God, they do not consider it a waste of time to learn facts or to memorize, particularly when they are memorizing the Word of God.

Young people in colleges of education, even in many Christian colleges, are learning that education should stem from the principle of relative truth. Yet, every book of the Bible proclaims or assumes that God's truth is absolute. The Old Testament prophets continually declared, Thus saith the Lord. In the New Testament, we are repeatedly assured of the things we "know."

The first dispute recorded in Scripture was basically over this question of relative or absolute truth. When Satan approached Eve in the Garden of Eden, he questioned the truthfulness of God's Word by saying, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (Genesis 3:1)

Eve had learned her lesson well, and she answered in absolute truth what God had taught her. We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

Satan then went a step further and contradicted the Word of God by saying, Ye shall not surely die. He appealed to Eve's human reason and her ego by suggesting that God’s motives were really selfish, and that He was purposely keeping her from independence and from a knowledge equal to God's by denying her this special fruit (Genesis 3:4,5). As we know, his tactics were suc­cessful and the principle of relative truth was born.

When Christ was upon earth the Bible tells us, The people were astonished at his doctrine: For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes (Matthew 7:28-29). He taught with the knowledge of the absolute truth of God, while the scribes apparently taught from the principle of relative truth.

The term "critical thinking" is often used by present‑day educators. I suppose this term means different things to different people, but it seems to me to mean roughly the same as the word "wisdom" as it is used in the Bible. In order to bring the teaching of Scripture to bear on this subject let us think of the two terms as interchangeable.

The Bible speaks of two different kinds of wisdom. These two are the wisdom of this world (1 Corinthians 2:6), and the wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 2:7). When we teach wisdom (critical thinking) to our students, we need to be careful that we are indeed teaching the wisdom of God and not the wisdom of this world. A careful study of 1 Corinthians, chapter two, will show us the difference between these two kinds of wisdom, as follows:

THE WISDOM OF GOD

1. Based on the authority of God's Word (verse 13).

2. Appealing because of the ministry of the Holy Spirit (verses 4 & 14).

3. Deals with the supernatural (verse 9).

4. Appeals only to the spirit‑filled Christian (verses 8,15,16).

5. Truth must be interpreted by the Holy Spirit (verses 10,13).

6. Results in having the mind of Christ (verse 16).

THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD

1. Based on human reasoning (verse 13).

2. Appealing because of enticing words (verse 4).

3. Deals only with the natural (verse 14).

4. Appeals to the natural man (verses 11 & 14).

5. Interpretation based on the whims of men (vs. 6).

6. Results in nothing (verse 6).

One of the most difficult jobs we face is keeping our Christian schools Christian in character as well as name. The subject we are discussing is at the very heart of this problem. If we yield to the current trend to consider truth as only relative, we will depart from the absolute authority and depend­ability of the Word of God.

Do We Really Believe the Bible?

by Ron Livesay

January 2006

We as fundamentalist Christians and as Baptists frequently state that we believe the Bible from cover to cover, that it is the Word of the Living God, and that it is our only guide for faith and practice. That sounds very good on the surface, but it quite often proves not to be the case. Saying we believe it does not necessarily conform our practice to our statements.

Early in the 19th Century, Christians were convinced of the truth and accuracy of the Word of God. Then something happened that caught them off guard. Along came the idea of evolution, popularized but not originated by Charles Darwin. Evolution, along with the uniformitarian geology of Charles Lyell, convinced many people that science had “proven” the universe and the earth to be billions of years old. It is interesting to note that neither of these “gods” of the evolution religion were scientists. Darwin’s degree was in theology – something against which he rebelled. Lyell was a lawyer.

As the idea of evolution became popular and widely-accepted, many Christian leaders capitulated rather than stand on the firm foundation of the Word of God. After all, they were men of God, not men of science. If science (based on the words of a rebellious theologian and a lawyer) had “proven” a great age for the earth, then it must be so. Christians were not qualified to question science, even if it contradicted God’s revealed truth.

Many well-meaning Christian leaders have attempted to harmonize the Genesis account of creation with accepted geology and its teaching of billions of years for the age of the earth. Christian theologians tried to reconcile the time scale of world history found in Genesis with the popular belief that scientists had "undeniable" evidence that the world is extremely old. This resulted in new teachings such as “theistic evolution” and “progressive creation,” both of which deny the Word of God. As is typical of compromise positions, the Scripture takes a beating, and the final message is watered down and weakened, with mortal man taking the driver’s seat and the God of the universe relegated to a position of insignificance.

Such things would not happen if Christians would stand unashamedly and without compromise for the absolute truth of the Word of God. God meant what He said and said what He meant. He told us what we need to know, and He did not fool us by presenting it in some way that was not true but that we could understand. Understanding of falsehood is of no value. A “god” who would do such a thing is not God, because he is a deceiver. But the Bible refers to God as the one “who cannot lie.”

Today, we are facing a similar situation in the area of education. This reality has been underscored in recent days by the lawsuit filed in August of 2005 by ACSI against the University of California System. I believe that the State Department of Education, the UC system, and other secular "educational" organizations are being used to undermine and ultimately destroy Christian schools. The circumstances that brought about this lawsuit should underscore the fact that the forces of evil will do anything to put an end to any Christian influence.

The UC system tipped its hand big-time when it demanded that schools, whether accredited or not, stop using Christian textbooks if they wanted to have their courses approved. This move on their part demonstrates that they are not our friends. Clearly, they are an enemy of Christian education. However, any Christian educator who might have predicted such a thing just a few years ago would have been considered an “alarmist” by most of his colleagues.

Just as Christians of the past swallowed the line of the so-called scientists, so today many Christian educators have swallowed the line of the self-appointed gurus of education. After all, they are the experts. Who are we to question them? It is important to meet their standards, no matter how much we have to water down the truth and compromise our Christian stand. They might not accept our students into their ungodly and humanistic universities if we don’t fall in line and walk lockstep with them. This is very clearly an issue of power and control, and perhaps money, too.

Following such a line of reasoning ultimately causes a school to become something other than a Christian school. It doesn’t happen all at once. Instead, it happens a step at a time – a little here and a little there. Before the leadership of a school knows it, and without even trying, the school can become a public school with tuition. Once that point is reached, there is very little point in a school continuing to pretend it is a Christian school.

Our doctrinal statement contains the following section:

“Civil government is of divine origin and appointment for the interest and order of human society. Civil authorities are to be prayed for, honored, and obeyed in their legitimate, God-ordained spheres of responsibility. When civil authorities contradict or oppose the authoritative Word of God, the church must obey God.” (Matthew 22:21; Acts 5:29; Romans 13:1-7; I Timothy 2:1,2 )

It may get worse before it gets better. Nowhere are we guaranteed a smooth and easy path as we serve the Lord here on this earth. Attempts by the State of California and the University of California to ultimately control or destroy Christian schools can no longer be hidden. They have made their intentions crystal clear. We can't allow ourselves to be taken in by them, and we certainly can't continue to join forces with them.

Psalm 1 is very clear about this. We are not to seek the counsel of the ungodly – those who leave God out – no matter how important they may pretend to be.

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD…For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.” (Psalm 1:1-2,6 NKJV)

The greatest educator in history is our Lord Jesus Christ, and His schools do not need the input of the secular world. The only thing that can come of that is the secularization of Christian schools. When that happens, Christian schools will, in fact, exist in name only.

It is imperative that we stand on conviction rather than preference. According to David Gibbs of the Christian Law Association, this is a legal point. He says that “a preference is a strongly-held belief; but a conviction is a belief that you will go to jail for.” If Christian schools exist only as a matter of preference, when the going gets tough, those schools will fold. Only if we operate as a matter of conviction will we be able to stand, and stand we must. BCS will only be blessed if we remain a truly Christian school, and that will happen only if we have the conviction to stand for right and for truth, no matter what the cost. When it comes right down to it, it would be better to be forced to close our doors for taking a stand for right than it would be to compromise and continue to operate as a Christian school in name only. We must, by our actions, demonstrate that we really do believe the Bible is the infallible, unchangeable Word of God. May we stand for right, and may God grant victory over evil in “this present evil age.”